Psalm 118:24 This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
What kind of day have you ordered today? Let me guess, sunshine, clear sailing, no problems. The problem is that we don’t get the day we order because we don’t give the orders; we take them.
The Bible says in Psalm 118:24, “This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” We can be thankful that we don’t make this day; God makes it. Yet, we have a responsibility and an opportunity. What will we make of the day that God has made? Let me encourage you to make the most of the day God has made in two ways: acknowledge Him and call on Him.
Psalm 118:1 says, “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever.” We should give thanks for what God has given; He is good. We should also be thankful for what he has not given; He is merciful. This is to say that we should acknowledge God in everything. That is gratitude. Gratitude is acknowledging God in what you are and in what you have. So, we make the most of the day God has made when we acknowledge Him in the day He has made.
We should also call on Him. Verse 5 says, “I called upon the LORD in distress: and the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place.” I called; God answered. Think back to Nehemiah. Nehemiah was a great man of prayer because he was a man of many problems. Someone who has a lot of problems, if he is wise, will make a lot of prayers and acknowledge and call on God in his day.
Who do you call when you are in trouble? When do you call? There are many examples of Nehemiah’s bold prayers in the book of Nehemiah. One of my favorites is Nehemiah 2:4 where the king recognized that Nehemiah was not happy. That was dangerous because the courtiers were to make the king happy, and it did not go well for courtiers who did not make the king happy.
The king said to Nehemiah, “What is your problem?” At this question Nehemiah was “very sore afraid.” When the king asked Nehemiah his question, Nehemiah “prayed to the God of heaven. And… said unto the king.”
That is a snap prayer. Nehemiah said, “I prayed to God; I answered the king.” How long do you think this prayer took between the king’s question and Nehemiah’s answer? I am guessing it was something like, “God, help!” That was a snap prayer based on many long seasons of prayer, but the bottom line is that he prayed when he needed it. So, call on God when you need it, and remember that you need it all the time!
“This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” We have joy in our day when we make the most of the day God has made. We do that by acknowledging Him and calling on Him in this day.